Personal History
What inspires me to compete?
It is important to me to try to do my best and to improve where I can. That is how I feel about my school, playing the drums, Boy Scouts, and MX racing. During my first year motocross racing, I wasn't always able to run up front or even in the middle of the pack. Nevertheless, I always tried to improve my lap times each time out and from lap to lap. As the season went on I got to the point where I could start racing with other riders, wheel to wheel. That was exciting and only made me want to work harder to improve. In my second year racing, I continued to do my best and improve wherever I can. Although I was racing with older, more experienced riders, as the season progressed, I was able to demonstrate that I have Top 5 speed. Last year I have moved up a again as I was riding a YZ 125 in the 125 Youth, 125, and Open classes. I had some Top 10 moto finishes but need to improve my starts and consistency to be a contender for the win in every race I enter. I try to look for any and all areas to improve, no matter how large, and then try to think of ways that I can go about getting better. I think winning is great but I know that even if I don't win, I can still be getting better. One day the winning will come and I will know that I have worked hard to get there.
Why do I like this sport?
I like the fact that I am pushing myself when I am riding my dirt bike. I like trying new things and knowing that I am pushing myself out of where I feel comfortable. I like seeing the steady improvements that I have made this year and look forward to even more next year. I like being with other riders, talking to them about what they are doing. I also like being with my Dad at the track.
Some Personal Information About Me:
I am also a Boy Scout, currently at the rank of Life. .Ultimately, I want to become an Eagle Scout. I also play the drums. I have a Ludwig drumset at home that I play on. I play in my high school band. That means this fall I will be playing at half time of the football games on Friday night and racing on Saturday/Sunday. I also was selected to play in the high school Jazz band this year. They both should be a lot of fun. I enjoy snowboarding in the winter as well. I am part of the Ski and Snowboard club at my school. Lastly, I enjoy school and strive to get good marks. I made the honor roll all three semesters last year and hope to do the same this year. I am taking all Honors level classes for 2008-2009. It will make things harder but I`m up for the challenge!
Do I train? What does my schedule look like?
I do as much riding as weather permits. One location is in my town and provides me a place close by that I can work on the circle and oval drills I learned at Gary Semics' MX school. Another local place is in a neighboring town where there are a there are a couple of different small tracks.. In the past I also tried to get to a track, normally Crow Hill MX owned by Robbie Marshall's family, at least once every other week. Between the two, I can work on specific things like cornering and whoops locally and then take it to a track to see how I do there.
I've put together a workout plan to do at home. It is based on a motocross training book that my Dad got me. By following that workout, I looking to get stronger all over, particularly in my body core. I think it will help me have more control over the bike next year. I can also use that work to earn my Personal Fitness badge in Boy Scouts. It is a merit badge that is required to become an Eagle Scout. I've also joined the Planet Fitness that recently opened in town. This allows me to work with different machines and have additional variety in my workouts.
What do I want to be when you grow up?
I want to be an engineer. My uncle is a mechanical engineer and works for a company that designs high performance transmissions. I think that is pretty cool. I`m very good at math and figuring out how things work so after I go to college, I plan on getting a job working on the design of motorcycles, cars, or airplanes.
Riding Goals
In 2008, I still have some goals that I'm working toward. Due to mechanical issues and injury, it doesn't look like I can make my stretch goals of finishing in the Top 10 in any of my classes but I'm still looking to finish the best I can in each race as well as meet my goal of a 10% improvement in my lap times.
In 2009, I will again be participating in the Winchester Speedpark Spring and Fall series. I will continue to race in the 125 Youth C, 125 C, and Open C classes. My goal would be to finish in the top 10 in both series. My stretch goal is to earn enough promotional points to advance to the B class. In addition, I also plan on competing in the NESC and NEMX regional series. My major focus will be the WSP series but, depending on conflicting schedule dates, would like to compete in around 10 additional races to allow me to ride on different tracks and against different competitors. In all, I would like to race in twice as many motos this year as compared to last year. I'd also like to improve my lap times at the Winchester MX track by at least 10 seconds per lap. At that point I would be running the speed of B riders. I think that is pretty aggressive but it is a way to show my individual improvement and will keep me focused